22 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



CONSERVATION EDUCATION 



Durinp- the hieniiium. greater em]^hasis was placed on better coojiera- 

 tion with the State Department of Edneation and the state colleges and 

 schools. Five leaflets were prepared and pid)lished: "California Valley 

 Quail, " " Beaver, " " Salmon, " " Trout, ' ' and ' ' Striped Bass. ' ' All were 

 written and stjded for the fourth and fifth grade levels, and each eon- 

 tains a color print of the species, and maps or sketches to illustrate the 

 text. Distribution is handled by the Bureau of Textbooks and Publica- 

 tions of the Department of Education. Response from teachers has been 

 tremendous, with requests for "more leaflets on more subjects." 



Three of the division's motion pictures were re-edited and the nar- 

 rations rcAvritten, especially for use in schools. These have been given 

 "XX-Excellent" ratings by the Audio-Visual Division of the State De- 

 partment of Education and are being widely used. 



Active participation by the supervisor in conservation educational 

 coiiferences, with lectures and pictures at workshops conducted by the 

 various state colleges, and at teachers' institutes held in many counties 

 has undoubtedly aided in furthering the proposed program of integrat- 

 ing the teaching of conservation of natural resources in the schools and 

 state colleges of California. 



PUBLIC INFORMATION SECTION 



Using primarily the mass information media, the public information 

 section attempts to inform and educate license buyers and the general 

 public concerning their obligations toward fish and game conservation. 



To better fulfill this mission, headquarters of the public information 

 officer was transferred from Sacramento to San Francisco in March, 1949. 

 The new^ location permits easier contact and closer liaison with important 

 news media, division personnel, and the commercial fishing industry. 



The 1949 Legislature authorized the appointment of an editorial 

 assistant in the information section. Partly because of a shortage of 

 eligibles willing to accept the comparatively low salary, the post was 

 not filled on a permanent basis. 



A major step toward standardizing the information program was 

 accomplished in the spring of 1949. At that time, the public information 

 officer took over the duties of distributing publications which were for- 

 merly handled from five or more separate places. Aside from technical 

 matters, the section now handles state-wide distribution of bulletins, 

 publications, photographs, maps, and abstracts of regulations. In addi- 

 tion, most telephone calls and letters requesting general information re- 

 ceived at the San Francisco office are processed, as are requests for back 

 issues of California Fish and Game, the quarterly magazine. These 

 duties are performed by an intermediate stenographer-clerk at San 

 Francisco. 



Since inaugurating the standardized distribution program, an aver- 

 age of 5,000 pieces of literature were distributed by the section each 

 month. Mail requests averaged 450 per month, telephone requests 125 

 per month, and personal requests at the counter, 200 per month. In 

 addition, literature was provided for distribution at division offices and 

 license agencies, and at fairs and sportsmen's shows. 



